Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-10-01

spurs tnaC llngied on my heels, L was
rather fond OF keeping il on my head.
at was Ellen who spoke, the other
staying HIT behind. Sir, she said,
in troubled soice, you look like a
gentleman. One of your men mas TAX |
en- our guitar. 1t is all that we have |
left, and it is great consolation.
Will you not be good enough to have
it returned Il
''The guitar was returned to her |
forthwith as quickly as the man could |
be found who had it. She was profuss
in her thanks. and the light in the
younger sisters eyes at the salvation
OF the instrument indicated how
highly 1t vas valued. The corn
and supplies they did not appear
to grieve over particularly, as i
cribs or arY unnecessary damage to
the property. Consequently l was
very Hospitality received in the house.
The family consisted of an old gentle
man named Sunderland, his wife and
three daughters. Sunderland was a
well-to-do planter, though too old to
take arms. He was q doctor by pro-
fession and a Methodist preacher by
choice, His family circle was, in its
refinement and the beauty or the
girls, something charming. particular
| ly to horse soldier who for some
years had known only the roughness
OF the camp. The eldest daughter
was married, her husband being a
! captain in the rebel army. The
other two were our fair petitioners,
AMI with them / enjoyed a tiatterlng
degree of popularity from the start"
The commander-in-chie stopped
and gazed with satisfied smile into
the Alabama OF twenty years ago.
"WelI," he said. picking up tie
thread of the story, Il need only say
that their fate was in my hands, that
all Is fair in love and war, and that
from that day forth / simply owned
the place, corfields, niggers, guitars,
and Met hodist preachers, all included.
And, gentlemen,-" and he dwelt with
some particular and meaning empha-
sis upon the ''and;" ''she. Ellen, was
nineteen and l was twenty-three."
During the next two months all
our fo-aging somehow was in their
direction. 1t seemed perhaps to the
horses that everything available in
the food line had migrated to the dis
trict back of the Sunderland planta-
tion, which had to be passed in order
to light on anything at all. There
was something about the sunderland
cuisine, too, that must have appeared
very tempting to my men, for L did
not willingly, believe, miss meal.
Ellen and /, in tact, were constantly
together. The old folks made
no objection. The blue eyes Of the
golden-haired sister beamed the sweet
est kind of approval, the days were
long, and the twilights of the dim old
! fir woods perfect, and-I believe
mentioned the fact, gentlemen," said
the commander-in-chief,w with q sigh,
shat she was nineteen and l was
. tweaty-three.
Il might remark parenthetically
that there is nothing in life quite SO
. fascinating as to be isolated in the viii
! derness in company with beautlu
: woman. Several books have beer
written with that one idea to carry
! them, and, like Charles Reade's 'Fou
| Play they have always caught tht
!. publics eve. There was no sentiment
, al talk between us. The crack OF thu
. guerrilla rife, the distant boom o
| battle, the war smoke il the air, anc
!. the period when no one knew what &
. iay might bring forth wer'
a very i'll adapted for sincere love-mak
4 ing, and that anything in the shane o
y man could have made love to Ellei
! Sunder land insincerely it would TAX
r pretty bitter cynic to believe. Blu
r we we've together none the less; togeth
er when the tree shadows crept slow
9 IL across the hot, still, brown field
e as the sun sank lower and lower to
: ward the mountains SUBMITS; to
i gether in the stiffness and LONELINESS
g OF the moss grown aisles OF the WOOD
4 in the noontide heat; together whe
q the big round harvest moon hung stl
; and shimmering like a great shield
= gold balanced AGAINST the black We
r. vet wall OF the autumn light unlve 81
+ What we said and what Sedld and waa
h we thought it matters not. 1t VIC al
q be to YOU very like a chestnut, Lei
= haps, to dwell upon it. Every won
10 an knows who has ever been nine
"a teen; every man remembers who kne'
what it was to be twentv-three.
n "Well, one day when / entered tn
"a house had surprise. / had hear
,s rumors OF there being a wounded i
/ bel officer in hiding OF the Sunde
70 lands. had paid 10 attention
i. them, however. believing them to
n without foundation. But on tn
H. day, entering the house as usual wit
ne out knocking, opened the door
er the reception room or parlor, Il
IN first door on the right hand side
10 the hall. which ran through the hous
n There. was q large fireplace in tn
ne room on the side opposite the doc
er As stepped IN saw an easy chal
az high backed, in front of this hire.
Or was instantly conscious In some wa
NJ for | certainly saw nothing OF hi
that a man, and a stranger, WI
ID sitting in that chair. l d
a not attempt to see any NOR
ue 1 stepped out, closed the doc
ce and quietly took a chair in the sittn
o. room opposite. In moment or tv
no the eldest daughter came IN hurriedl
%. pale and agitated.
a "Mr.Tr she gasped. Did you
%. into the other room?"
ar "'I did, said l.
I'd ""Did you see anybody?
". al did not, answered very qult
.rs ly. She looked me squarely in t
rls eve. l looked squarely back. S
hoved and apparently believe